U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway and state Sen. Kel Seliger joined a panel of experts at The Village at Manor Park Monday evening to discuss the state of Alzheimer’s in the community. The town hall meeting consisted of a series of questions to each panel member from Janet Cross, program specialist for the local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

The panel was made up of Jay Hobbs, chief operating officer at Manor Park; Jim and Alethea Blischke, who shared their personal experiences with Alzheimer’s; Certified Family Nurse Practitioner Cindy Mariner at Family Physicians; and Dr. Don McLarey, internal medicine and hospice and palliative care.

Below are some takeaways from the meeting:

-- Conaway and Seliger discussed their willingness to support the Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer's Act, which, if passed, would provide Medicare coverage for services including clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and care planning to provide newly diagnosed individuals and their caregivers information about medical and non-medical options for treatment and support. Conaway is a co-sponsor of the act.

-- Families dealing with Alzheimer's are faced with many challenges when it comes to guardianship across state lines. Forty-one states -- not including Texas -- have passed the Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act (UAGPPJA).

Many people with Alzheimer's require the assistance of a guardian because of the debilitating nature of dementia. Adopting the guardianship act would help to remove uncertainty for individuals with dementia in crisis and help them reach appropriate resolutions faster, according to the association.

-- As many as half of the estimated 5.2 million Americans with Alzheimer’s have never received a formal diagnosis. Many doctors avoid telling patients the diagnosis due to a fear of giving bad news, McLarey said.

However, research shows that if a doctor withholds information initially, when a patient eventually is told, he or she is a less compliant patient, McLarey said.

-- The Blischkes emphasized the importance of early diagnosis rather than waiting for major symptoms to show, in order to give the patient the opportunity to prepare for the future. The couple has a history of Alzheimer’s in their families, and Jim Blischke has been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment.

“Once we got the diagnosis we could begin to realistically approach our futures as a couple, and as individuals,” his wife said. “Early diagnosis gives us the opportunity to act, not react.”

-- 1 in 9 people 65 and older in Texas have Alzheimer's, according to the association. The disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the state. Baby boomers are reaching the age where Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia begin to be exhibited.

With a larger aging population, the impact on long-term care will be significant, he said. It is estimated that by 2050, as many as 16 million Americans will have the disease.